Thermostat Settings

Being single and living in an apartment can sure change your perspective about the thermostat, furnace, air conditioner, and utility costs. Doing some simple research showed that it can help reduce my utility costs if I utilize the thermostat properly. And now I'm going to share my findings with you. Unfortunately, I'm in an apartment and they won't let me install a programmable one, so I have to push the buttons myself.

One of the best sites I found regarding this was at the Madison Gas and Electric site. Being based in Madison, Wisconsin, I feel that they do have a good background in understanding heating during the winter. Go to their site to read a little more about "why" setting your thermostat back is good and what some of the myths are about doing it. A lot of other sites I researched said the same thing as theirs, but theirs was the easiest to read. I'm going to share the two important pieces of their site here:

The more you set back, the more you save

Set back	8 hours per day	16 hours per day	24 hours per day
5°	5%	10%	15%
7°	7%	14%	21%
11°	11%	22%	33%
13°	13%	26%	39%

Check with your doctor if you have a medical condition that requires different temperatures. If you have had problems with pipes freezing during extremely cold weather, correct the problem before setting back.

Recommended thermostat settings

	Winter	Summer
When you're home:	68°*	78°
When you're not at home:	55°*	85°
When you're sleeping:	55°*	78°

*Or as low as health permits. Check the owner's manual if turning down the temperature for more than 24 hours.

From Orvis

Since it is winter time where I am, I have set my thermostat to 60 F, last year I had it set at 64 F. I've compared my gas and electric bills, and they are 14% less this year than last. Yes, it means that I have to put on a sweatshirt or flannel shirt and throw an extra blanket on the bed, but it is definitely helping the bank account. I'm going to add to the mix of lowering the thermostat to 55 at night, and see what happens. Guess I have to get my Union suit pajamas out again.

Dozer dozing...

Last summer I set my thermostat at 74 F, but I think I'll set it up to 78 F next summer and see how that affects my bills. I'd set it higher when I am not home, but I do have Dozer here with me, so I'll be kind to him by keeping it lower.


Saving cents makes sense...and means more coffee at Dunkin Donuts...

HEE HEE HEE

Hello...my name is Dozer. I was named after the word "bulldozer" because I always plow through things that I find inconsequential, and because most often I can be found "dozing." As you can see by the pic, I have commandeered the master bed where I live. I let others sleep here, but it is MINE. But I digress, those will be other posts...

I've commandeered my buddy's Mac to post some of MY thoughts on a blog, but didn't want to bother creating my own. Yeah, without thumbs it is kinda hard to work the mouse or touchpad. It is hard to bother filling out all of the registration info...so I am using my buddy's blog.

I call him my buddy, because he didn't "sire" me (so he isn't my "daddy"), and he doesn't "own" me. He and I connected at a point in my life where I needed someone like him, and he needed someone like me. He welcomed me into his life...without restriction. He wrapped his arms around me, kissed my forehead, and said to me, "welcome to your future...you are loved...live as if you've never lived, love as if you've never been loved, but always experience things, as if you haven't experienced life itself..." That's always stuck with me, which is why I am using his Mac...and why I have the suspicion that he is a hippie (that, plus all of the patchouli incense that he burns).

Life with him for the last few years has been interesting. When I connected with him, I was deaf (still am), was 25 pounds overweight, could barely walk, and only had 6 months to live. Within the first year with my buddy, I had lost 15 pounds, had 6 steel pins inserted into my hips and rear legs so I could walk, and learned a lot of American Sign Language (ASL) so someone could "talk" with me... After my surgery, he became my buddy when he slept with me on a sleeping bag, on the floor of his dining room (so & BECAUSE I couldn't walk up stairs), for several months. Because of that, I can now commandeer a bed as my own. As he lays his arm on my back while we slept, I know that is why our souls continue to melt together.

But, AGAIN, I digress...the last year has been particularly interesting for me, and even for him. We moved out of our house into an apartment (thank goodness he chose one with a single floor, with no stairs), and he has begun cooking again (YUM)...and has joined a roller derby team [NEO Roller Derby], which in itself, brings a lot of GREAT things to my life. Again, that will be ANOTHER blog post when I can grab computer time on his Mac when he isn't paying attention or is at "derby practice."

I'm going to have to start posting more blog posts about DERBY when my buddy isn't around...maybe when he goes to the practices and things that he does, I will...if I'm not dozing...stay tuned...and:

WATCH THIS SPACE

Year In Review

So... since we are "between holidays" (Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas) and rapidly approaching the end of the year, it sometimes causes some reflections on the past year. And what a year it has been for me.

Image via Wikipedia

Just over a year ago, I moved out of the house that I lived in for 12 years. Where I installed some ceramic tile floors in the bathrooms, remodeled the basement to create a play room for my son, and carefully tended the landscape. Yeah, I am a bit of a "handyman."

One year ago, on Halloween, I was let go from a company that I worked for, for over 17 years. Trick or Treat for me. More of a "trick" than a "treat." I was put in a psych ward for 5 days because of this, and the company thought I was suicidal. Hee hee, I'm still here. I use my knife on pumpkins instead of my wrists.

Two weeks after I moved out of the house, I was in the hospital for 5 days because of a collapsed lung. Why did my lung collapse? Because I am a tall male and athletic. I was at the set up for a roller derby bout for my league (that I ref for) when it happened. I spent two hours in extreme pain in my chest, but had to make sure they were set up, before I asked to be taken to the emergency room in a local hospital.

Image via Wikipedia

The day before Thanksgiving last year, I went to court to appear before a judge, that signed the papers that ended a 17 year marriage. Happy Thanksgiving Day to me. Ended up putting shaved turkey lunch meat on a couple of tortillas, with slices of cheese as my Thanksgiving dinner. YUM!!!


I spent 6 months without a driver's license (due to my own fault), while all of this was going on. I learned to walk the 4.2 miles between my apartment and the grocery store, with a backpack, to get food and needed items. On the way, I was able to stop at the library to get books and movies to entertain me during my "hiatus from life." It is hard to apply for jobs when you can't drive there to fill out the applications or attend interviews, trust me, I know.

Image by What's the rush via Flickr

Okay, enough of the negativity. On to the positive. In the last year, I've had to resurrect the cooking lessons that I shared with my grandparents, hence why there are so many blog entries about recipes, cooking, a Dutch oven, and a crock pot. I've been able to reconnect with my dog, on a more personal level. I've gotten a LOT more tattoos, because I always wanted to get at least one, it is addictive, and I finally felt the freedom do get them. I have 9 now, and am scheduled to get a few more in the next few months. Plus, I know an amazing designer that not only inspires me, but also desires to see them on me.

I guess to "bottom line" it, I've been through a lot in the last year. I've tried to adapt and correct it, and am successfully  overcoming it all. So, stay tuned to the blog to experience my experiences that come from it all...